


We've gotta stop meeting like this

by orphan_account



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-17
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-04-09 20:51:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4363748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cecil is quite sure that Carlos Ramirez is the hottest creature ever to grace the face of the planet. Only problem is the only times he ever runs into him are when something is going terribly, terribly wrong. And really, how do you move past first impressions when that first impression is your cat stealing his boxers? With a hell of a lot of effort, but damn if Cecil's not going to try.</p><p>(I suck at summaries. College Au, romcom)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bad kitty

**Author's Note:**

> It's a lot of those AU college ideas  
> For the record- most AUs will be taken from http://perfectlyrose.tumblr.com/post/101118660910/au-prompts-masterlist-of-lists  
> and I might give more specific credits for chapter. Here we go!

"Hey, Cecil?"

"mmm?" Cecil lifted a blond and groggy head from the couch in the apartment he was sharing. His roommate, Dana, on the armchair, was giving the door a horrified look. He tried to blink the sleep out of his eyes and turned to the door, waiting for his vision to clear. Hmm. Foggy Khoshekh. Holding something.

"Dana, what is my cat holding."

"Um. It would appear to be boxers." Cecil was bolt upright in a second.

"KHOSHEKH. BAD." 

Dana put her head in her hands.

"I thought you said he'd stopped doing this."

"He had!"

Khoshekh took the yelling of his name as an invitation to trot over to Cecil and jump up onto his knees, and that's where he was when the feet pounding down the hall started with a yell of

"HERE KITTY. COME THE FUCK BACK DAMMIT"

There was a slam as the man nearly hit the wall at the end of the hall, bracing himself with one hand. He looked up. Cecil stared back. They made dead eye contact for a few long and uncomfortable seconds, then Dana quietly excused herself to the kitchen to leave Cecil with the man in his doorway. 

Cecil, for his part, was stricken. There were thoughts rushing in his head- Holy fuck Khoshekh stole this guy's underwear, HOLY SHIT MY CAT STOLE A HOT GUY'S UNDERWEAR, SHit now I will never be able to talk to him again, SHIT this guy is hot.

The man in the doorway straightened, brushing dark curls back with a worn hand and smiling awkwardly. He had teeth like a military cemetery, and Cecil felt his heart make a painful throb in his chest. 

"Um. Hi. My cat appears to have stolen your underwear." Cecil hears his own voice and cringes. OH god, why. Why. WHY KHOSHEKH.

"Hi. He did indeed. I'd appreciate those back."

on cue, Khosekh dropped them on Cecil's lap. It was so quiet Cecil could practically hear his mother rolling over in her grave.

The man coughed awkwardly and stepped into the room, cautious, face burning a red velvet-y dark color. URgh why did he have to be gorgeous. 

Cecil wordlessly picked them up and offered them. He came in further, shyly taking them out of his hands.

"Um. Thanks. See you around." 

"Sure. sorry. bye!"

"no problem."

They stood in silence for a minute, then the boy shuffled out the door and back into the hall. Cecil sunk his face into his hands. 

"wanna talk about it?"

He looked up at Dana.

"Can you get me some rope so I can hang myself?"

"No."

He groaned and put his head back in his hands. She patted him on the back.

"At least it's a biggish building. You probably won't see him again."


	2. Honk Honk Motherfuckers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cecil reads and walks. It's not smart.

The Khoshekh "days without incident" board was back up to about 21 and Cecil was late to English, and couldn't be fucked to actually do the reading. So it was 7:45, his 8am was 20 minutes away on a leisurely day, and he had his book up over his face as he tried to read enough to bullshit the discussion. Usually he didn't usually think much of crossing the parking lot. Usually he was walking slow enough that cars had plenty of space to go around him. Usually he was paying attention. It wasn't a usually kind of day.

He heard the squeal of brakes, but of course it was icy, and the next thing he knew was pain in his arm and his head and everything else as he hit the pavement hard.

"Oh my God! Oh my God i'm so sorry I was late to class and- Oh god I've gotta get you to the hospital the Emts can't drive in this weather-" Cecil heard the voice somewhat distantly. Pain was making things far away and hard to access. His scarf had pulled up around his face, so at least the ground wasn't so cold. He felt himself be lifted, gingerly, by the knees and the arm that wasn't folded over his chest in a way that made it pretty obvious it had taken the impact. He was being put into the back seat of a car and being driven off- fast, but not the kind of reckless speed that would make him slide. His legs and waist had gotten seatbelted. There'd been some mumble about further injury as that was done, along with a steady stream of apologies that didn't stop the whole way to the hospital. There was something familiar about that resonant, sweet voice. But maybe, Cecil figured, it was probably just a head injury. At least he didn't have to go to English class. It was around that thought that he blacked out. 

the first thing he heard was the voice- staying with him, explaining what had happened, asking if everything was going to be okay, asking with an edge of hysteria about hospital bills and declaring that he'd cover anything, it was his fault. The nurse was trying to calm him down.

"-m fine." mumbled Cecil. The voices stopped, then the blurry form of the driver was at his side again.

"I am so sorry, your arm is broken. - Can you give me your name? I can notify any of your teachers where you are- I am so sorry-"

"-ecil. Cecil Palmer. -glish. Ms. Josie-"

Cecil distantly heard the sound of dialing, then the resonant voice again-

"Hello Ms. Josie- I really am sorry to call you on your personal number during classes, But um...I hit one of your students with my car on his way to class."

There was a pause.

"He's- He's a little hurt and i am so so sorry and i'm with him now. Yes, Cecil. I am so sorry- yes I'll tell that to him. Yes. okay. I'll tell him. Bye."

Cecil was waking up. He felt a little bit more awake, but everything was a little bit on the blurred side. He propped himself up a bit on his good arm, looking over at the man next to him and opening his eyes for the first time. He closed them again.

"Oh god."

There was a nervous laugh.

"Um, Hi again." Cecil cracked open one eye.

"So is this some kind of revenge for my cat stealing your underwear?"

The look of horror and guilt on the man's face was so sincere that Cecil actually felt guilty, even before he started stammering

"NO! no! absolutely no- gosh I'm so so so sorry-"

"I should have been paying attention."

The man hung his head. Cecil smiled.

"So. Since you know mine- what's your name?"

"Carlos. Carlos Ramirez"

Cecil felt his gut grow cold.

"No."

"...What?"

It was Cecil's turn to look at him with pure horror.

"My cat stole the underwear of the head of the Honor society and the Science honors fraternity? Oh God this isn't happening."

Carlos smiled, rueful, but almost blushing.

"Well I hit the Head of NVFM radio and the De-stress kitten club with my car. I think we've more then even."

"And the radio theme house head!" Cecil was cringing, but smiling much wider now. Carlos was looking at him with embarrassment and something very like affection. 

"AH, I always forget about the theme houses. That makes me even more of a monster."

"You are not a monster!"

"Careful, i'll grow another head the moment you look away."

"Maybe it'll master another language and you can be the head of the russian house and learn about theme housing."

Carlos put his face in his hands.  
"Oh god you're just as charming in person as you are on the radio. I'm never going to live this down."

"Need I remind you that my cat stole your underwear???" Cecil was trying not to blush. 

A cleared throat made both of them jump. There was a doctor standing in the doorway, smiling uncomfortably.

"We've gotta get a cast on Mr. Palmer, if you two don't mind-"

"UH, no, sorry- actually, I'm already late for a meeting-"

Carlos stood, looking at Cecil with fresh worry in his eyes.

"um, sorry to run off. Call me if you need any help with the bills or anything-"

"It's fine. thanks." He lifted a hand goodbye as the other man dashed out, and smiled inwardly. All things considered, that wasn't half bad. 


	3. Fire alarms wait for no man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos finds himself in some trouble, and Cecil and Dana move out

Late October in upstate New York was nothing if not soul wrenchingly miserable. 

Even more so without the hottie from upstairs providing any welcome distractions, but Cecil's keeping that to himself. 

And anyway it doesn't matter because the broadcasting house is nearly set up and Cecil won't be around anymore anyway. Not that that disappointing him. The broadcasting house has been his dream since he arrived here last fall, and by God he has more pride then to admit that some of the fun's being taken out of it by the lack of...what? Cecil shakes his head to clear it and walks more briskly back from class, being careful as he crosses the road. He is not thinking about Carlos, any more then he's thinking of the reckless maniac who hit him with a car!

Feeling a bit bad tempered, he speed walked into the building, running upstairs to get the last of the boxes from the room. He found Dana sitting cross legged on top of the last two boxes, chewing bubble gum and texting.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah. gimme a minute, lemme finish this message and then I'll call Fey."

"Who're you messaging?" Cecil collected the extra coats and hats by layering. He'd never been very sensitive to heat.

"Oh, No one." Dana's smile said otherwise. Cecil lifted an eyebrow accusingly.

Dana actually blushed. Cecil didn't think he'd ever seen her blush before.

"It's stupid."

Cecil plopped himself down next to her, crossing his ankles and his _Starry Night_ stockings and smiled at her, nudging a shoulder.

"Okay okay so- um- I found a phone number on a piece of paper on my desk in Sumerian. It wasn't from anyone in the class, i'm guessing someone tried to give it to someone else and it didn't go well. And i was just looking at that piece of paper so long that I started feeling really bad so...welll...I texted the number." 

"...aaaannnndd??" Cecil's voice rolled like an undertow. Dana blushed and looked flustered.

"Nothing happened! we're just talking. He's taking modified Sumerian in the same room so we talked about the ancient history major and stuff. We're just talking."

"Well if or when you get past talking I'd love to meet him." Cecil winked, then hopped up.

"Now call Fey."

Dana got through the call and arranged for the pickup, and they were sitting on the curb out in the cold when the fire alarms started going off in the building. Dana, perched on the boxes and drinking a cup of tea she'd made for the wait, didn't bother reacting, and Cecil only gave the building a prefuntary glance to check for any smoke plumes. Since there weren't any, he focused his attention back on the road and Dana's small talk as people filed out and stood around them. he didn't notice much else until there was a stranged noise behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to see-...

"So...I take it there was actually a fire?" Cecil was trying not to sound smug, or mocking about the fact that Carlos Ramirez was standing in front of him in a bathrobe, clutching a black messenger bag with a miserable expression. His hair was starting to freeze.

"I could smell smoke before the alarm went off so...." Carlos shrugged, wrapping his arms tight around himself. "Safety before modesty, though I may have failed to consider the outside temperature as a factor."

"We're opening house today. You wanna hitch a ride and warm up till the dorm's safe again?" Cecil offered, partly out of guilt for how amusing he was finding the fraternity president getting frostbite in a bathrobe. Mostly out of genuine concern. If there actually was a fire he'd be stuck outside way too long.

"Um...would you mind?" Carlos looked at Dana, who gave an enthusiastic thumbs up with her phone to her ear. As she hung up a car pulled up, The prematurely silver-haired Fey sticking her head out the window.

"Is that Carlos Ramirez??"

"Uh, yes. Can he come with?"

"As long as I can talk to him about programming, Hell yes get in the car."

Carlos was blushing a little at the attention, but he obediently followed and shuffled into the backseat with Cecil as Dana took the front and Fey loaded the boxes in the trunk. 

Cecil looked over at Carlos and smiled.

"Good thing we were around, huh?"

Carlos flushed a little, and laughed.

"Yeah, but we have got to stop meeting like this..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title drop!


	4. I got 99 problems and you are most of them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I edit the last chapter to make it October so I could include halloween stuff? Nooooo it was october all along. Sssh.

Fey and Carlos apparently had plenty to talk about, sharing information about programming and data correlation and other such stuff that Cecil and Dana didn't follow. But while Dana texted Cecil was more then happy to sit back and listen to the sound of Carlos's voice and watch the happiness and enthusiasm in his face. And once he'd gotten a little bored of that (or rather, Carlos had caught him staring and they'd both looked away red and flushy) he looked out the window and watched the landscape get gradually more forested. The house was not close to campus. It wasn't even necessarily a problem of distance, it was just a matter of windy roads that led nowhere in particular, looping endlessly till you ended up feeling good and properly lost, and THEN you came across the retro looking building. Carlos looked a little stunned as they pulled up the driveway, and Cecil couldn't blame him. It looked like someone had stolen a radio building from a small town in the 1960's or 70's and dropped it in the middle of the woods, then refurbished the glass trapezoid that made up the third layer. It was a beautiful building. Just...random. oh so random. 

It had been Cecil's favorite place in the school since the foundations were laid, and would be even more so once they got the broadcasting equipment up and running. 

Fey parked in the large rectangular side building they had designated the garage (though they'd built a stage to the far left in case anyone decided to be social) next to Dana's Westfalia and Cecil's broken down Lincoln continental. Carlos went straight for Cecil's car when he stepped out, circling it.

"Wow, what year is this?"

Cecil smiled to himself as he walked up next to him, laying an affectionate hand on the violet car. 

"1956. I'm still working on it.."

They talked shop for a bit while fey and dana made faces and then got bored and headed inside. Eventually Carlos shivered and Cecil cut off mid car ramble.

"I'm sorry, you must still be freezing! heating barely works in here, come on-"

He led him inside and dashed upstairs and back down, passing him a set of pajamas.

"sorry, it's the only thing I have that might fit you-"

"it's perfect."

Carlos smiled, and Cecil's heart gave a painful thud in his chest.  Carlos continued, smiling earnestly and running his thumb over the purple and black pattern of the Pajamas.

"Isn't it the nicest thing to stay inside when it's cold in just comfy clothes? my mom used to run our Pjs through the laundry while we were out in the snow so we could have something to put on when we came back in. It's just one of those simple pleasures."

Cecil didn't really have the words for the warmth in his chest, so he just smiled and hoped the message got across with just a phrase-

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

They smiled at each other for a second. Dana, who'd been sitting on the kitchen table a little further inside the room the whole time, made a not so subtle coughing sound. Carlos flushed and bobbed his head, wordlessly speeding off to the bathroom. 

Cecil pouted at Dana and the closing door, and Dana just smiled smugly.

"Should we join Fey upstairs?"

Cecil shrugged.

"How about I start dinner? It's getting kinda late."

Dana tilted her head to think about it. "You okay to cook with that arm?" Cecil pouted. "I could make this recipe blindfolded with my feet." Dana grinned. 

"Alright then. Send the scientist up though, It's a few that shouldn't be missed."

Cecil smiled. He agreed with that assessment. Even the little bit of extra height here put you at the branches, and they had a little crow's next observation area they'd added on later that was an even better view. especially without most of the leaves blocking the way. 

So when Carlos came out Cecil sent him up, and they didn't come back down until the smell of finished food reached them, and Cecil had to fight Fey off of the pasta one-armed with a wooden spoon, as Carlos ducked behind him and stole a little himself.

"Wow this is really good-"

"Well you can wait to be served!" Cecil gave him a thwack with the spoon, splashing tomato sauce into his hair. He stopped, registering who it was.

"SHit. I thought you were Dana." 

The spoon had left a perfect red circle on Carlos's cheek. The scientist pouted.

"Do I sound like a girl?" 

Dana took the spoon out of Cecil's hand and left the same mark on Carlos's other cheek before Cecil could stop her.

"Can't tell gender by voice. Bad."

Carlos, to Cecil's shock, hung his head.

"Sorry."

she tapped him on the shoulder with the spoon.

"Forgiven." She handed it back to Cecil and walked away. He had the facial expression equivalent of a website buffering.

Carlos looked up and smiled at Cecil through his eyelashes.

"Since you so brutally reprimanded me, may I have the first bowl of pasta?"

Cecil smiled.

"Yes you may."


	5. You don't have a league, you are a god

If Cecil had claimed that he hadn't been laying in bed that night one arm hugging his pillow and half dreaming about Carlos he would have been lying. Carlos had gone home hours ago, and there he was- hugging a pillow and bemoaning his stupidly aching heart. Urgh. It was all so cliche. He rolled over, for the 17th or 200th time, and as the bed made a little creak the door opened.

He looked up. It was Dana.

"Come on. We're talking."

He knew better then to argue with that tone of voice, so he pulled himself out of bed, slightly self conscious about wearing the Pjs Carlos borrowed, and followed her to the kitchen.

She made hot chocolate and dropped four cinnamon marshmallows into his drink before she plopped down across from him at the table. He looked up at her, pouting slightly. Her expression relaxed a bit and she leaned back in her chair.

"Are you gonna tell him?"

"Tell who what?" Carlos took a long swig from his hot chocolate, trying and failing to look innocent.

"Tell Carlos that were it physically possible you would bear his children."

Cecil choked, and Dana waited patiently for him to get the marshmallow down the right pipe.

"First of all, I am NOT going to tell him that." Despite himself, Cecil was smiling.

Dana just winked and took a delicate sip of her hot cocoa.

Cecil released a deep sigh. He shouldn't have to remind himself that he could talk to Dana. He crossed his cast across his chest and traced the initials she and fey had left on it.

FInally, he managed-

"Second of all, I don't think I am going to tell him."

Dana's eyebrows practically flew off her face.

"Why? I would have expected you to have announced it on the radio by now. The words "shy" and "Cecil Palmer" do not belong in the same country."

He pouted. She stared him down.

He sighed dramatically.

"If he were some new student, yeah, fine, but man- He's so outta my league. I'm not that important around here, you know? My old school I ran the place. Here... not so much. And he's important- honor council, student organizations, well respected by the teachers and all..."

Dana gave him a pointed look. He grinned nervously. Oops.

"Not that I mean to disrespect the president of the student senate, oh glorious chairwoman."

She leaned back with an eye roll.

"Flatterer. You know you forgot. but let's not change the subject-"

"I didn't-" He protested. She silenced him with a stare.

"TO not change the subject. He totally likes you."

"he totally doesn't. he just feels guilty that he hit me with his car."

"Oh come on. No guy agrees to be taken home and put into the pajamas of a guy he doesn't like, let alone one he hit with his car."

"Totally out of my league."

"You don't have a league. You are a god." She grinned.

Cecil smiled.

"That's just what that one kid thinks because I hit him with a blue fire poi. You shouldn't keep bringing that up. Didn't you hear he got expelled for doing bath salts?"

"I didn't, but i'm not surprised. Still, even nutjobs get it right every once in a while-"

"NO, dana. Urgh." Cecil took another swig of hot chocolate.

"What are you so afraid of? Fearless Cecil, come on."

"He's...something else. And I can do no right Dana. We cannot meet under normal circumstances. Something always goes wrong. I've decided it's doomed."

"Oh come on."

Cecil frowned.

"Maybe i'm just worried that it is. It's not like he's sought me out."

"So if he did...?"

Cecil smiled ruefully.

"Then i'd reconsider my stance on telling him I would grow a womb for him."

Dana snorted.

"Oh god that sounds so much worse coming from you."

They settled into silence, comfortably, and when Cecil finally got back to bed it was with a much lighter heart.

Dana stayed up a little longer, trying to figure out a plan and musing-

"If he sought you out..."


	6. Carlos Ramirez, Future prom king

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dana passes on some information, and plants some ideas

Carlos was minding his own business when he found out in rapid succession who the student body chairperson was, that she had his phone number, and that she was very invested in getting him to contact one Cecil Palmer. 

 

For all the praises his teachers sang of him, Carlos could, occasionally, be dense as hell.

 

"Miss Chairwoman, I don't really see why I should ask Cecil to hang out. I kind of hit him with my car and imposed on both of your company. I've really done nothing but embarrass myself-"

_My Name's Dana, man. So formal._

Carlos settled back into his seat in the corner of the lab. One of his partners was giving him a dirty look, but fuck it, he was just logging extra time.

"Sorry, Dana. Still-"

_Why must you be stubborn._

"I don't do irrational things."

_I bet you don't have much fun._

"I have plenty of fun! i'm in a lab right now. What's funner then a lab??"

_Second Chance Prom._

"What?"

_Second Chance Prom. Cecil's going. Running for Prom Queen, actually. I'm automatically in for Prom King as the Chairman, and you are as Honor council head. Thing is, I can withdraw because I was on the event council. You can't. So, you really are duty bound to go. As a student leader of course. Have fun in that lab, though._

Carlos could almost hear the smugness in the click of Dana's flip-phone closing.

He stared at the phone.

"Kate?"

"yes?"

"I'm running for prom king?"

"You're the only decent competitor."

He gave his partner a long look. She stared right back. He swallowed.

"Are you going?"

"Of course. I'm taking Caroline."

"Right."

She gave him a long look that could have been interpreted as sympathetic.

"You wanna go with us? Dave and Joel are coming too."

Carlos gave his phone a long look.

"...I'll get back to you on that."


	7. I know a guy who's tough but sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone loves candy

As what had become the norm Cecil didn't see Carlos for a few days. Not a sound or hallway passing. 

He's just about given up on it again by the week of Halloween, when he made the annual trip to the only Walmart less then three hours away for pumpkin themed everything by himself, as Dana and Fey had pulled out because of prom planning and lightshow choreographing, respectively. And so fate found him at the checkout, unloading a cart of candles, a years worth of count chocula, supersize bags of candy, decorations, ingredients, and a ridiculous amount of other odds and ends, with a checker who was absolutely loathing his life.

 

After the tenth box of count chocula he looked up and asked.

"...You having a party? or two?"

Cecil looked him dead in the eyes, staying silent for long enough to make the silence uncomfortable- broken by the beeps of products being scanned.

"No."

 

Cecil heard a baritone laugh behind him, and a chill went down his spine. He turned, cringing already. 

Carlos was trying to cough to cover up his laughter, but he kept making the occasional squeak from trying too hard to disguise it. He looked up to Cecil's mortified expression and just burst- laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face. Cecil covered his face in an attempt to hide his blush.

"I'm sorry-" Carlos wiped his eyes, still giggling.

"The look on your face- oh jeez, I would hate to be on your bad side."

The checker was trying to load bags as fast as humanly possible,and paused while Cecil idly scanned his card.

Cecil was trying to play it off.

"I'm just- I'm just a little sensitive about my sugar habit." the forced nonchalant tone wasn't fooling anyone, let alone Carlos.

He raised his hands in mock surrender and moved forward, helping Cecil load his cart. 

"I'm sorry for laughing. Do you forgive me enough to share some of the cereal and spare me my weekly theft of the dining hall lucky charms?"

Cecil raised his eyebrows, flabbergasted.

"That was YOU? I was wondering why the hell the whole bag kept disappearing every friday. "

Carlos smiled, gently pushing Cecil's cart forward as the checker continued to glare at them.

"I sink too much of my money into school funds and formalwear."

"Formalwear?" Cecil smiled.

"I know that feeling. I sank half my cash on a- um, formalwear. for prom."

Carlos smiled, quietly thanking Dana in his head.

"Did you get a ballgown?"

Cecil put his hands on his hips.

"How did you-"

"That'll be 38.50." The checker interjected, with a forced smile.

Carlos smiled amicably, paid, and lifted his couple bags, gesturing Cecil out before he followed him towards the door.

Cecil was pouting fiercely. Carlos felt a little warmth in his chest and smiled.

"I'm sure you'll look fantastic in it."

Cecil blushed so red that Carlos had to look away, distracted by his heart making a painful racket in his chest.

"-Hey, actually-"

"Carlos!"

Carlos, cut off, looked up in annoyance to see his ride- the honor council vice, a tactless brunette named telly- waving enthusiastically.

"What took you so long? Cmon man, I'm gonna miss the game if we don't get back to campus."

"Wait-"

"I'd better go, I parked near the other door." Cecil cut in, spinning his cart.  
  


"I'll see you-" Carlos started, but Cecil was already off at a fast, determined trot.

Carlos was left with his hand slightly raised, feeling flushed and frustrated. Why did the timing never work out?


	8. Telly the Frat Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (tw: mild sexual assault mentions, no detail)

Cecil took the winding road back faster then was probably advisable. His head was spinning- How did Carlos-

"DANA." 

He roared up the driveway in Fey's borrowed car and parked, jumping out and grabbing his bags in a frustrated fervor before storming up the front steps and trying to jam his keys into the lock.  
Fey opened the door after the 4th fruitless jab at the lock.  
He blinked, suddenly calmer without anything to direct his frustration at.  
"Heeey Fey."  
"....You okay? Your eyes are kinda bugging out. Blink please."  
Cecil blinked, feeling a little like a microwave someone had unplugged with a second to go.   
"...ceecil?"  
Cecil sighed, trying to push out the pent up stress.   
"Sorry Fey."   
Fey took his bags out of his hands and headed for the kitchen- adding,  
"c'mon, either you need to talk or you need to eat."  
Cecil shook his head, following her-  
"I think I need to go to the shelter. Can we go get kittens? I need a kitten."  
~

Carlos typically thought of himself as a pretty easygoing person. It was difficult to get on his bad side, even if he tended to over-stress at moments. 

He was sitting back at marveling at how bad he wanted to punch telly in the face, turning it over in his head like a compelling science theorem. Really, he wasn't ill-meaning. He was just...inept. Carlos was realizing that he didn't like inept people. It was rarely a problem, most of the people he interacted with were intellectuals, and he respected their proficiency in their various fields. Cecil, for instance, knew absolutely nothing about science regardless of how often he tried to cover it on the radio, but he was eloquent and quick witted. Yes, eloquent. That was it. Telly wasn't eloquent. Telly was an ingrate. Telly's only skill was football, and even that he sometimes botched by giving other players injuries. He was student council because it looked good to have something other then football on his record, and he was popular. Sometimes he was even likeable. But the longer he talked, the more the illusion wore off. Telly was from somewhere in the deepest part of the south. A buckle-hole in the bible belt. Girls occasionally liked that accent.

Of course, when he started talking about how Cosby did nothing wrong, you started to get a glimpse of just how ignorant ignorance can be.

Of course, you don't get that until he offers to cut your hair and sits you down and talks the whole time. It was so distracting that Carlos actually forgot about the haircut part and just listened in abstract horror to the supposed innocence of long-convicted sex offenders and domestic abusers and suddenly, he couldn't deal anymore. He shot up, spat out some kind of pleasantry and a profession of illness, and was out of the building like he'd been stabbed. 

He was walking without thinking about where he was going when he finally noticed people staring. He figured he must look upset, but a pass by a building gave back a kind of odd reflection. He backtracked a couple steps.

Oh, shit.

**Author's Note:**

> http://toxixpumpkin.tumblr.com/post/101021230029/awkward-first-meetings-aus


End file.
